The Business News

"Entrepreneurs Offer Time Saving Services"
November 19, 2001
By Corey Albert

"Waste neither time, nor money, but make the best use of both." - Benjamin Franklin

Time, it's been said, is the one commodity money can't buy. A handful of enterprising women would beg to disagree. These women are attempting to carve out niches in a shaky economy by offering timesaving services to area clients. The services themselves vary - errand running, event planning, shopping, and cooking. But all the services provide customers with more time to spend on business or family. And, as the holiday season rapidly approaches, they can all be given as unusual, highly personalized gifts.

Chef Becky

Inspiration can come from anywhere. In the case of Becky Barter, it came while watching the Food Network. She happened to be viewing that network while pondering what to do with the bachelor's degree in Japanese she earned from the University of Oregon and the MBA she attained from Oregon State University.

When a show came on about personal chefs, Barter knew she had found her calling. She enrolled at the United States Personal Chef Association's Phoenix-based training school. For approximately $3000, she was immersed in a five-day training course that focused on marketing one's personal chef services, as well as the correct methods of freezer storage.

Finally, about two months ago, Barter formally became Chef Becky. As Chef Becky, Barter sits down with her clients (typically busy couples and seniors) and goes through a four-page questionnaire with them in order to determine their culinary preferences. Then, after doing the necessary shopping, she will prepare five entrees comprised of four servings each, along with several side dishes.

The cooking takes about six hours, although Barter notes she gets faster every time. Once completed, her food is promptly frozen for later consumption. Detailed heating instructions are left with each individually frozen container.

"I guarantee you can't tell my food has been frozen," says Barter. Entrees range from barbeque turkey meatloaf to sesame crusted mahi-mahi with Wasabi mayonnaise. Barter charges $325 for her service, which includes the cost of the food itself.

She hasn't started aggressively marketing herself yet, but Barter says she has already amassed five clients. She would eventually like to open a commercial kitchen where she could prepare meals in large quantities and then deliver them. Because her service is such a useful one, Barter is convinced that the demand for it is bound to grow.

"What I basically do is solve the what's for dinner problem," she says. "Client's have at lease one-and-a-half more hours every day.

"That is my main product, its convenience. It's not like a bookkeeping service or something like that. Everyone can use it."